Home Wi-Fi Network Security: 4 Ways to Avoid Big Trouble
The risks of not properly securing your home wireless network continue to increase. Consider the newest tales from the dark side then follow four steps to stronger Wi-Fi network security.
Mon, May 02, 2011
CIO — Locking down your home Wi-Fi network with a password is like making sure you eat your broccoli. It's probably good for you, but you probably think it's not much of a priority or a big deal. Well, it's time to make an attitude adjustment. It turns out that you can cause yourself a good deal of trouble by leaving that door to your system unlocked.
Don't believe me? Just listen to the story of a homeowner in Buffalo, N.Y., who endured an ugly encounter with a weapons-waving coterie of law-enforcement agents who swarmed into his house in February and accused him of downloading a huge trove of child pornography, a federal crime.
As you might have guessed, the man (his name has not been released) was guilty of nothing more than failing to secure his Wi-Fi network. After an extensive grilling and the seizure of his family's computers and smart phones, the real culprit emerged. It was a 25-year-old neighbor who had secretly latched on to the innocent man's wireless network and used it to download thousands of images, according to an Associated Press story that's been making the rounds. The same story recounts similar incidents in North Syracuse, N.Y. and Sarasota, Fla.
I'm not saying there's a creep outside of every unlocked electronic door just waiting to download kiddie porn. The incidents in New York and Florida were obviously unusual events. But there are plenty of people who think it's acceptable to freeload on someone else's network.
A recent survey commissioned by the Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group, found that nearly one-third of the respondents said they have tried to get on a Wi-Fi network that wasn't theirs — that's up 18 percent from a December 2008 poll.
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At the very least, those folks will slow down the connection for which you're paying. They could also gain access to files on your computer that you thought were private. Or, they could be using a peer-to-peer network to download illegal copies of music or movies, an activity taken seriously by the music and film industries (and their lawyers) these days.
So why take a chance? Here are four key steps you can take to secure your home wireless network.
1. Set Wi-Fi for the highest level of security your router and PC allow: Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) is the latest in network security technology. It controls who connects to the network and encrypts data for privacy. Older wireless routers won't give you that option, but most support WPA encryption. Your router may support the older WEP standard, but it's really rather weak and should be avoided unless you have no other choice. It is important to note that the security level of a home network is determined by the least capable device and many devices ship with security options disabled as the default.
